as in to plague
to cause persistent suffering to
the South was afflicted by a severe drought he's been afflicted by nightmares ever since the accident
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Recent Examples of afflict
The movie takes place in a not-so-distant future where society contends with a pervasive virus that afflicts the entire adult population.
—
Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 3 June 2025
To put it into perspective, the National Organization for Rare Disorders estimates that one person on every elevator and four people on every bus are afflicted.
—Alexis Kayser, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 June 2025
The perils afflicting these marooned vacationers turned the Triumph into a social media fascination — #CruiseShipFromHell was a trending topic at the time — and inspired parodies on Saturday Night Live and The Daily Show.
—Randall Colburn, EW.com, 25 June 2025
Those afflicted with sickle cell disease and their families turned out in support of World Sickle Cell Day at West Oakland’s DeFremery Park on Sunday.
—Jane Tyska, Mercury News, 25 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for afflict
Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 3 June 2025
To put it into perspective, the National Organization for Rare Disorders estimates that one person on every elevator and four people on every bus are afflicted.
—Alexis Kayser, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 June 2025
The perils afflicting these marooned vacationers turned the Triumph into a social media fascination — #CruiseShipFromHell was a trending topic at the time — and inspired parodies on Saturday Night Live and The Daily Show.
—Randall Colburn, EW.com, 25 June 2025
Those afflicted with sickle cell disease and their families turned out in support of World Sickle Cell Day at West Oakland’s DeFremery Park on Sunday.
—Jane Tyska, Mercury News, 25 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for afflict
Recent Examples of Synonyms for afflict
Verb
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With water crises increasingly plaguing other areas of the country, Central Arkansas is positioning itself as a destination for sustainable economic growth.—
arkansasonline.com,
arkansasonline.com,
11 July 2025
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But, with its ridiculous time-turning conclusion, the 1978 classic revealed a problem that's been plaguing the last son of Krypton ever since: Superman movies never end well.—
Richard Edwards,
Space.com,
10 July 2025
Verb
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There may be no animal that has been more revered and reviled, romanticized and persecuted, adopted and murdered than the coyote.—
Helen Whybrow
July 7,
Literary Hub,
7 July 2025
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Asylum seekers must prove their government is persecuting them or that they're being persecuted by someone who the government is unable or unwilling to stop.—
Victoria Moorwood,
The Enquirer,
2 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Afflict.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/afflict. Accessed 19 Jul. 2025.
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